The Sun In Sheets
by Mini Nephthys
Summary: Would it not be best not to kill them afterward? Alternate Dead End 18, onesided Issei x Shirou. Character death.


**Author's Note:** I do so love torturing Issei. Though actually, this came about because I was writing Issei/Shirou smut and the natural balance of the universe required me to write this to keep Issei from getting _too_ happy.

German translations, because I think "It is big, it is small" is a stupid incantation for a feather fall spell:

_Dein Mund wird die Wahrheit sprechen. _Your mouth will speak the truth.

_Vergisst._ Forget.

I'm not a native speaker, so you can correct me if I got it wrong.

* * *

"Caster."

"Yes?"

"You are going to use these commands for everyone in the temple, correct?"

"Yes, Master."

"Would it not be best not to kill them afterward? If the requirements were triggered for more than one of them at once, so many deaths in one place would be suspicious."

"You are as wise as always, Souichirou-sama."

* * *

Issei felt as if he had suddenly been awoken from a deep sleep. He tried to remember anything from the past few minutes - nothing. Bewildered, he turned to his friend to see if Emiya knew what had just happened.

He froze.

Emiya was doubled over, unconscious. Blood poured out of an open wound on his stomach-

But that couldn't be happening, Issei told himself, even as he rushed to his friend's side.

People weren't just attacked in the middle of lunch, he thought as he tried to shake his friend back into consciousness.

Emiya couldn't be-

The nurse's office-

The nurse. Of course, he thought desperately, gathering Emiya into his arms and trying to block the flow of blood with his hands. The sooner he got there the sooner she could help him. And she _would_ help him, if he hurried. He had to hurry.

He had to hurry or else Emiya would-

Adrenaline let him lift his friend more easily and throw open the door with one bloody hand. He rushed as quickly as he could without dropping the body in his arms.

Once he got to the nurse's office it would be okay. It had to be.

People didn't just - in the middle of lunch-

Emiya couldn't just-

It _had_ to be okay.

* * *

"And you don't remember anything." The principal's voice was soft rather than accusing.

"N-No. I… I have a gap in my memory of about two minutes, and when I came to he was like that. I have no idea what happened in there," Issei answered honestly as he gripped the edge of the office's chair tightly. He knew it made him sound suspicious, but he couldn't lie and try to pin the blame on anything else. Even if it wasn't his fault.

…It wasn't his fault, was it? He couldn't have done anything to Emiya while he was unconscious! When Emiya recovered he would laugh and say that of course he didn't blame Issei, Issei was ridiculous for even thinking that.

When Emiya recovered-

Footsteps emerged from the clinic. He looked over at the nurse. "Is he all right?"

Please say he's all right, he has to be all right, Emiya couldn't just-

The nurse sighed, not meeting his eyes. "I don't know how to tell you this," she said slowly.

"It's bad?" he asked. He didn't know what could happen from a stomach wound - probably not a coma, maybe he'd have to be fed from a tube from now on or something, anything but-

"He was dead when you brought him in."

Issei stared at her for a few more moments in silence. "I… I didn't get here fast enough?" he murmured, disbelievingly. "So it's… it's my fault he's…"

"He was almost certainly dead when you found him - it's not your fault, don't think for a moment that it is," she corrected hastily. "There was nothing… you could do."

"…C-Can I…" he began. "As a monk, I should… Can I see him?"

There were teachings about this, sutras and words of wisdom. He didn't remember any of them. He barely remembered the prayers to recite.

The principal seemed hesitant, but finally said, "If you must."

Issei nodded and rose to his feet.

The nurse and principal watched him enter the clinic, and tried to pretend that they didn't hear the loud sobs that came as soon as the door shut behind him.

* * *

The students were sent home early. Sections of the school were blocked off to keep anyone from seeing the trail of blood leading from the student council room to the nurse's office.

Rin waited until most of the students had gone before calling for Archer.

"Emiya offered to find out if Issei was a Master or not," she said by way of explanation. "I told him not to do anything stupid, but…" She trailed off and shook her head. "We'll probably have to fight him now."

Archer only nodded, dematerialized, and fell into step behind her.

The obstacles in her path were easily removed. The teachers were already leaving, and some made halfhearted suggestions that she could go home. She politely asked the nurse if she knew where Issei was, since she hadn't seen him leave yet and some people were worried.

"They're right to be worried," the nurse answered. "You can find him in the clinic. I don't think he's moved for the past half hour."

As they approached the nurse's office, Archer's disembodied voice came suddenly. "I don't feel a Servant's presence."

Rin frowned, but said nothing as she stepped inside.

As soon as she entered, she heard the soft sounds of someone crying coming from the adjoining room. Slowly, she opened the clinic's door to find Issei bent over Shirou, who was wrapped in now-bloodstained sheets. Issei's back was to her, and he briefly turned his head to look at her. His eyes were red and wet with tears. He didn't say anything to her, only turning back around.

Rin frowned again, and said softly, "_Dein Mund wird die Wahrheit sprechen._"

Issei stiffened.

"Are you a Master?" she asked.

"I am not," he answered in the signature monotone of the bewitched. He still did not turn around to look at her.

"Are you a mage?" she asked next.

"I am not."

"Did you kill Emiya?"

"I don't know."

Rin frowned again. "Why not?"

"I have a gap in my memory of about two minutes," Issei explained. "Before it he was fine. After it he was bleeding and possibly dead."

"Do you have any idea who might have done this?"

There was a slight pause. "He was inquiring after Kuzuki's fiancée just prior to all of this happening, but I do not know her to be capable of killing people when she is not even present."

Caster, she thought, meaning Kuzuki is her Master. One last question… "Why are you still here?" she asked, not quite expecting that he was ordered to stay, but the possibility-

"I love him," he replied, still in that emotionless tone of voice.

Ah. Rin sighed and ordered, "_Vergisst._"

The small sobs began anew.

* * *

"What do you think, Archer?" Rin asked as soon as they were outside of the school.

"I've heard of magi creating artificial command spells and implanting them in other humans," Archer answered, sounding detached. "It's likely that Caster did that to everyone in the temple."

She sighed. "So Issei really did kill Emiya…"

"Caster killed him," he corrected. "And it would have been kinder for her to kill Issei as well."


End file.
